Original Amigurumi Crochet Patterns

Awash With Washi

My ongoing love affair with Washi tape is still in the throes of early passion. Now I’ve noticed the presence of this amazingly versatile sticky stuff I keep on seeing it everywhere. Stationers and department stores, homeware and craft shops alike. And of course there are miles of it for sale on the internet. At around a pound a roll it’s very tempting to get one in every colour and every pattern I come across… In fact that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing!

There’s no point having rolls of gorgeous tape just sitting in the drawer though, so I began to put it to good use anywhere and everywhere I could think of. I started with a set of craft shop cardboard letters that hubby had bought me a while back.I had entertained the thought of decoupaging them with some fancy craft papers, but the thought of a gallon of PVA glue being splashed around with sticky paint brushes, the cutting and snipping of papers to the right size and all that drying time was putting me off. As a result of my aversion to the possibility of ending up in a big mess, the project had been on hold for way too long. After all, the last thing you want is a cat permanently glued to your desk or a mat of moggie hairs embedded in your finished pieces.

Using paper tape was ridiculously easy, quick and pain free, despite the predictable feline interventions.After cleaning up my dusty top shelf a while ago, and taking down the miscellany of mismatched jars and plastic tubs full of odds and ends of craft materials my Moji Moji letters have been transformed from this……to this. The shelf is no longer a junked up area for forgotten things but a rather fancy focal point.One useful tip – I found it was necessary to use a good solid masking tape to go over all the edges at the back. The type you find in DIY stores. I’ve relied on the light tack adhesive qualities of my Washi to bond to the cardboard on the face and sides but the small overlaps at the back kept lifting up.Problem sorted. Those overlaps are staying stuck now. Sorry letters, I feel like I’ve shown the world your underwear! Here’s a picture of their more glamorous side again to make up for that minor indiscretion.I think that’s definitely cheered up my wonderwall of wool, especially with the addition of my new sheep friend. I’m a little on the short side so using that shelf for storage has never been the most convenient thing. Since all my jars and pots of beads, buttons and general gewgaws have been hidden away neatly in my chest of drawers there’s no need to keep climbing on the desk to reach anything. This shelf is now purely decorative and, for once, dust free. I do feel much better not being crowded in by the jumble of a million knick knacks.On a recent trip to town I found skinny tape…..and Easter tape.Little frog was very pleased with my shopping and we soon cooked up an idea for how to use them.As it so happened I’d just finished up two pots of Day and Night cream and had peeled off the original labels, ready for a bit of re-purposing. The Easter theme paper tapes were going to be perfect for a seasonal revamp.And with the very minimum amount of time and effort they were soon transformed.Now I have two little gift tubs to fill with a few trinkets or sweets.They’re the perfect size for one of my Ten Minute Chicks and a couple of mini chocolate eggs – in fact they’re the perfect size for anything that fits in them 🙂Time for an Easter gathering with duck and rabbit from my Minimals collection.That’s my mini Easter gift ideas sorted out then, just need to use up a few more jars of face cream, I’ll have to see what’s lurking in the back of the bathroom cupboards. They need a jolly good clear out anyway.After that I turned my attention to some plain old wooden clothes pegs and got busy decorating them with a selection of rainbow colours. Just stick on the tape and trim with a craft knife. It couldn’t be easier.These would be great as memo holders for the fridge if you stuck a magnet on the back. I’ll be using mine for holding monthly bunches of receipts together next time I get around to doing my accounts. They look pretty enough to have on display all the time so I’ve pegged them to my letter rack for now.I can use the pegs to keep my pencils upright too, instead of them falling to the bottom.I think you’ll agree these guys are far too good-looking to be hidden away in a pencil case.I love anything that’s really small so had some seriously itty bitty fun making teeny tiny bunting next.And here’s how to do it. You’ll need a piece of thin string (I used crochet thread in a size 6), your chosen tapes, a pair of small pointed scissors, a sheet of white paper, a pen and a ruler. (I Washi taped my ruler too). Cut a strip of paper to the same width as your tape then cut that strip into squares.Stick your tape to one of the sides of a paper square. Leave the same amount of tape unstuck and place the string over the tape where the top of the flag will be.Fold the tape over the string and stick to the other side of the paper square.Snip away the excess from the centre of the lower edge to the top of the flag.You now have a string of baby bunting!Just right for a tiny Easter party.If you’re not planning a tiny Easter party this year, and let’s face it, not everybody will be, then you can also use your bunting for card making or scrapbooking. It would look great in a doll’s house too.Last but not least on my mission to Washi tape the world I gave my computer monitor a makeover. Isn’t that just so much fun?! It makes me smile every morning when I shuffle, bleary eyed, into the studio, cup of something hot and revivifying in hand, ready to check emails and orders. A pretty little kick start to another day filled with crochet, crafts and exactly this sort of silly nonsense that puts an extra twist of lemon-zingy happiness into the teacup of my life!

I have to admit to not paying much attention to washi tape – although my various sisters love paper crafting, it’s never been my thing – but seeing your post has given me a whole new outlook on these lovely rolls of cheerful tapes 🙂
I think my favourite, apart from your Moji Moji letters overhall, has to be the computer moniter makeover 🙂